Center-discharge ore car



June 24, 1930.

A. E. ZlMMER 1,765,519

CENTER DISCHARGE ORE CAR Filed Nov.- 9, 192'? 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 24, 1930. A. E. ZlMMER CENTER DISCHARGE ORE CAR Filed Nov. 9, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 24, 1930. A. E. ZIMMER CENTER DISCHARGE ORE CAR Fil'ed Nov'. 9, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 f venfoz' $8 ff 11371 71787 10 J UNITE stares PATENT OFFICE ALBERT E. ZIMMER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, -ASSIGNOR TO ENTERPRISE RAILWAY EQUIPMENT COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS CENTER-DISCHARGE ORE GAR CUS- sitely swinging doors, said doors being hinged on longitudinally extending axes and arranged to be supported adjacent their outer corners, when the doors are in closed position, by mechanisms of the self-locking linkage type. My invention is especially adapted for application to the type of ore car in service in the so-called Great Lakes Ore Service where the cars are restricted in length to provide coupling centers between cars of 24 feet whereby the various cars composing a train will accurately discharge their load in bins spaced 2% feet center to center. The limitation in the length of cars is also accompanied by certain limitations of width and height which, with certain grades of ore, hinder the attainment of sufficient cubical capacity to provide the greatest permissible revenue freight such as the rated tonnage of modern body capacity together with a discharge opening in the floor of the car extended lengthwise of the car to the greatest extent possible without dangerof the mechanism being damaged by the truck parts when the doors'are in closed or open position.

It is also an object of my invention to provide a certain degree 7 ment in the mechanism between the oppositely hinged doors whereby the adjustment cl I withthe doors opened.

of relative move- I lifting and winding mechanisms the mechanism on one end of. the door may have a limited degree of adjustment relatively to the opposite end thereof and thus compensate for variations.

Further objects of my invention reside in certain details of construction such as will be more fully pointed out hereinafter and claimed.

For further comprehension ing taken on a line corresponding to line 2 of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken through the car and on a line corresponding substantially to line 3-3 of igure 1, a portion of the sloping floor being fully show the mechanism. Figure 4 is a vertical sectional elevational view taken cene trally of the car and on a line corresponding substantially to line 4-4L of Figure 3. Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 3 except that the door mechanism is illustrated in position with the doors opened. Figure .In said drawings AA indicates the wheels on the respective ends thefixed bodystructure of the car, CC dumping doors, the door winding and supporting mechanisms I of the doors are operated in unison from a central location. Said body structure, in its preferred form, includes side sills +10,

he respectiveends whereby of the car, B r

the sloping free edges fined to one of for an appreciable distance edge of the being and angle-shaped member 'vide'd, and inwardly of car.

plate structures 1212, end cross-beams 1313, sloping end floors l t-14, and side walls each formed of an upper substantially vertically disposed section 15 and a lower inwardly directed sloping floor section 16. The sloping wall sections 16 are supporte and braced at suitable intervals by diaphragms 17, which in turn are supported on horizontally extending gussets 18 and are further braced to the side sills by vertical plate braces 19. Each said gusset 18 is supported on the adjacent side sill 10 and extends inwardly therefrom and is bent downwardly beneath and is secured to the related sloping side floor section 16 Intermediate the side sill 10 and sloping floor there is disposed an angle-shaped member 20 which extends lengthwise of the car beneath each gusset plate 18, said. member 20 being con nected at each end to the respective crossbeams 1313 by means of connections 21.

V The said end floors 14:44 together with side floor sections 16 define a substantially rectangular discharge opening which is adapted to be sealed by means of the pair of dumping doors C-C. Said doors CC, which extend longitudinally of the car, are hinged as indicated at their opposite edges, and are arranged to have their meet centrally of the car with the doors in closed position. The construction and mounting of the doors C being identical, the description hereinafter following is conthe doors of the pair. Each door C is preferably formed with fiat and curved sections as indicated at 22 and 23 respectively, the latter being preferably tangent to the flat section and extending from the hinge door. Battens 2 1, which extend transversely of the door, are provide with hinges 25, whereby the door is pivotally mounted at 26 on hinge butts 27, the latter secured to the horizontal gusset 1 20. Adjacent the free edge of the door a flange 28 is prothe free edge and extending lengthwise thereof there is a U- shaped beam member 29 of extended depth. Said member 29 extends for an appreciable distance beyond the side edges of the door and into the Jlane of thewheels A ofthe Said portions of the beam member which extend into theplane of the car wheels ing for the attainment of is modified in shape as indicated at 30 for the purpose of clearing the car wheels the door is in open position thus malilarge door opening. Said extended portions of the beam on the respective ends '0 the door 18 also for the purpose of clear- 31 on the The mechanisms D are disposed at'the respective ends of the doors and are respecformed of a hub 37,

the related tively mounted on winding shafts 32 and 33, which extend from the central part of the car to one side thereof; said shafts being preferably formed of rectangular formation. and each mounted centrally of the car in a pair of aligned bearing brackets Lid -3Q and at the side of the car in brackets 35 and 36. The winding mechanisms proper are disposed intermediate the bearings art-3a, and inasmuch as the mechanisms at the respective ends of the door are ,of the same general character the description will be confined to one mechanism only. Each said mechanism includes: a winding section fixedly mounted on the block 38 pivotal y mounted on said hub; and a hanger 39 in turn pivotally mounted to the said block. The hanger 39 is formed with a hook shape upper portion as indicated at 10, and with a depending portion 41 having a plurality of jaws 12- 12 associated therewith, said jaws having an equalizing lever 43 pivotally mounted therebetween on pivot 14:. Connection between the winding mechanism proper and the respective doors is effected by connections 15 15, which are each pivoted to the equalizing lever as indicated at 16, and to door at 47 through the medium of clevis 18. Said connections include a threaded joint as indicated at 19, whereby the length of connection between the door and winding mechanism may be adjusted. The connection 17 is formed at its upper end with a jaw-like formation presenting double walls 50-50 which straddle the equalizing lever 13, and intermediate its ends the connection 15 is formed with an offset 145, said offset being located to clear the adjacent, axle 2455 of the car when the doors are in opened position as indicated in Figures 5 and 6. The upper wall 1&2 of the jaws on the locking hanger 39 acts as a stop to limit the balancing movement of the equalizer lever-413.

The balancing of the pair of doors on the equalizing member 4L3 simplifies the adjustment of the doors inasmuch as minor variations in the length of connections 15 are often unavoidable due to irregularities in manufacture and wearing of parts. Heretofore it has been necessarywhen making door adjustments to disconnect the clevises on both doors of a pair, taking up some of the threaded adjustment and thereafter'reconnecting the parts, whereas with the in troduction of an equalizing member it is necessary only to disconnectthe clevis on shaft a locking one of the doors of the pair to make "adjustments on both doors.

provide for a certain degree of elasticity which enables the springing of the mechanism sufliciently to enable the closing of the mechanisms slightly over center and still maintain tight joints for the doors.

Shafts 32 and 33 are extended outwardly to the sides of the car and rotatably mounted in bearings 35 and 36. Inwardly of said bearings 35 and 36 each shaft has a sprocket wheel 51 fixedly mounted thereon, and connection between the sprocket wheels of the respective shafts is effected by means of the connection E. Said connection includes two sprocket chain sections v5252 united by connections 53 and 54, said connections having threaded adjusting turnbuckles 55 whereby the effective length of the connections may be varied as desired. Shafts 32 and 33 are thus adapted to be rotated in unison in opposite directions, the opposite directions of rotation of the shafts being effected by crossing the connections 53 and 54 as indicated at 56. Connection 53 is composed, for a portion of its length, of two parallelly disposed elongated links between which connection 54 is guided.

The door operating means F includes an auxiliary shaft 57 which has a gearedpinion 58 fixed thereon and which meshes'with a gear wheel 59, the latter being connected to the shaft 33 preferably through the me dium of a clutch device of the type shown and described in U. S. Patent #1,547,640, issued to Argyle Campbell, July 28, 1925. At its outer end the shaft 57 is extended through the bracket 36 and provided with a ratchet wheel 60 with which a locking pawl 61 is adapted to co-operate to lock the shaft 57 in any adjusted position. (Jo-operating with said locking pawl to lock the same is a cam 62, said pawl 61 and cam 62 being respectively mounted on shafts 63 and 64. While the ratchet wheel, pawl and cam are shown on the drawings on one side of the car only, it will be understood that the construction is duplicated on the opposite side of the car to permit of operation from either side of the car, the shafts 57, 63 and 64 being extended from side to side of the car.

When the doors are in closed and locked position with the parts of each mechanism D positioned as shown in Figures 1 to 4 inclusive, the hook shaped portion 40 of the locking hanger 39 lies above the locking shaft with the line of force due to the weight of the doors passing through a line 65, said line lying slightly to one side and beyond the center of rotation To release the doors, assuming the parts positioned as in Figure 1, the operator first rotates the shaft 64 in an anti-clockwise direction, disengaging cam 62 from its engagement with pawl 61 and thereafter rotates shaft 63, disengaging pawl 61 from engagement with latch wheel 60, and finally rotates shaft 57 in a clockwise direction which, by reason of the engagement between pinion of the winding shaft.v

58 and gear wheel 59, rotates winding shaft 33 in an anti-clockwise direction, the connection E causing shafts 32 and 33 to rotate in unison but in opposite directions. The operator continues to rotate shaft 57 in the indicated direction until such time as the hook shaped portions 40 of the mechanisms have been moved upwardly and to one side of the center of rotation of the winding shafts when the doors open bytheir own weight and the parts assume the position shown in Figures 5 and 6.

As the doors open, the connections 45-45 spread outwardly and thus serve to limit the opening movement of the doors, the offsets 145 in the said connections clearing the axles 245, and also providing a certain de gree of resiliency in the parts of the mechanism which serve to cushion the impact of the dropping doors, thus reducing the tendency of the connections 45 to break at the threaded portions 49. v o

By employing the equalizing means hereinbefore described, in combination with the offsets 145 in the connectors 45, danger of derailment'or damage to the doors, if the doors should be left open while the car is in transit, is minimized. Should the car with the doors open pass over a curve, the innermost wheels of. the trucks on one side of the car will obviously move nearer to the longitudinal center line of the car, and should said wheels move sufiiciently inward to engage the open door on that side of the car said door will be partially lifted or moved in a closing direction and, due to the equalizing arrangement referred to, the door on the opposite side of the car will be allowed to swing still farther in an opening direction, it being obvious that the wheels of the trucks on the said opposite side of the car will be moved outwardly from the center line of the car. The offsets in the connectors 45 provide the necessary clearance for the axles in such operation, as will'be understood.

To close the doors, the pawl 61 is placed into engagement with the ratchet wheel 58 and shaft 57 rotated in an anti-clockwise direction until such time as the doors are fully closed. In rotating the shaft 57, the operator engages the squared end of the shaft 57 by means of a suitable wrench or other operating tool, the operation being effected by a series of oscillations of sa1d operating wrench; the pawl 61 maintaining the ratchet 58 against retrogressive' movement during such winding operation. I

lVhile I have herein shown and described what I consider the preferred manner of What I claim is:

1. In a railway car, having a dumping opening; the combination with longitudinally extending oppositely disposed doors adapted to close said opening; of a shaft di posed at an angle to the axes about which said doors swing; a winding connection centrally disposed between the doors, said connection being adapted to wind on the shaft; an equalizing lever pivotally mounted on said winding connection; a pair of door supporting elements, pivotally connected with said equalizing lever at one set of ends; and adjustable supporting means interposed between the opposite set of ends of said elements and said doors, whereby adjustment of the means associated with one element and door will be equalized through said equalizer lever with respect to the opposite element and door.

2. In a dump car, the combination with oppositely disposed swingable doors; of a shaft disposed at an angle to the axes about which said doors swing; a winding connection between said shaft and said doors, said connection including: a drum rigidly secured to the shaft, a block pivotally secured to the drum, a locking hanger pivotally mounted to the block and formed with a hook portion adapted to lie above the shaft when the door is in closed position, an equalizer pivotally mounted to the hanger; and a pair of door supporting elements each connected to one of the doors and having pivotal con nection with the equalizer whereby the weight of the respective doors will be balanced on the locking hanger to maintain the line of force therethrough substantially at right angles to said shaft.

3. In a dump car, the combination with oppositely disposed swingeable doors; of a shaft disposed at an angle to the axes about which said doors swing; and mechanism connecting the doors and shaft, said mechanism being inclined upwardly and outwardly from the doors when'the same are in closed position, said mechanism including: a locking hanger having a hook shaped portion adapted to seat on the shaft and a shank portion depending below the shaft, a lever pivotally mounted on the depending portion of the hanger, stops associated with said hanger and lever to limit relative movement between said lever and hanger, and link members connecting the respective doors and the pivotally mounted member.

4. In a dump car, thecombination with the trucks; of a body, said body including a dumping opening intermediate the trucks; a pair of oppositely disposed swinging doors adapted to close said opening, each said door of the pair having a beam adjacent its swinging edge extending outwardly beyond the edge of the door and in the plane of the truck parts; and mechanism pair of links.

disposed at each end of the door, each said mechanism including: a winding connection centrally disposed, an equalizing lever pivotally mounted'on said winding connection, and a pair of door supporting elements connecting said equalizing lever with the respective doors, said equalizing lever and door supporting elements being arranged to balance the pair of doors whereby engagement of one door with the truck parts on one side of the car causing elevation of said door will cause lowering of the companion door.

5. In a dump car,the combination with oppositely disposed swinging doors; of a winding mechanism centrally disposed at each end of the doors, each said mechanism including a shaft and a winding means; a lever pivoted on said winding means; and connections extending from said lever to the respective doors, said last named connections having offsets formed therein.

6. In a dump car, the combination with a winding shaft; of dumping doors; and self-locking linkage mechanism connecting the said doors and shaft said mechanism being disposed at an incline and so disposed that when the doors are in closed position the line of force between and the door is below the axis of said shaft, said mechanism having a portion thereof offset to one side of said line of force whereby the impact of the falling doors will be cushioned.

7. In a dump ear, the combination with oppositely disposed swinging doors; of a shaft disposed at each end of the door, said shafts extending at an angle to the axis of said doors; self-locking linkage mechanisms adapted to connect the shafts with the respective doors, each said mechanism including an equalizing means between the doors whereby the respective doors will be balanced on the linkage mechanism; and means connecting the shafts at the respective ends of the doors, said means including sprocket wheels fixed to the shafts, link chain sections engaging the respective spr ckets, and connections between the respective link chain sections, one of said last named connections including a plurality of elongated links spaced from each other and the other of said connections extending between and being guided between the said 8. In a dump car, the combination with oppositely disposed swinging doors; of a shaft disposed at each end of the door, said shafts extending at an angle to the axis of said doors; self-locking linkage mechanisms adapted to connect the shafts with the respective doors, each said mechanism including an equalizing means whereby the respective doors will be balanced on the the shaft 1 linkage mechanism; and means connecting the shafts at the respective ends of the doors, said means including: sprocket wheels fixed to the shafts, link chain sections engaging the respective sprockets and connecting means between the respective link chain sections, said connecting means being adapted to intersect each other centrally between the tWo shafts and including a pair of elongated links spaced from each other and a link extending between said pair of links and guided thereby.

In Witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 4th day of November, 1927.

ALBERT E. ZIMMER. 

